The Thread Of Moments
by Kesa Ange
Summary: The thread of moments weaves a lifetime. Series of oneshots set during storyline. Fai-centric, KuroFai suggestions. A/N: What was the second chapter is now 'Sight and Vision'; nothing new here now.


_The thread of moments weave a lifetime._

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"Here." The ninja dumped something on the bench top and Fai looked over with interest from where he was beating cake mixture in the kitchen.

"What is it?"

Kurogane shrugged. He'd gotten tired of buying disposable razors every time they moved, but they were almost impossible to carry everywhere. And he'd gotten tired of cutting his chin when he – only on rare occasions when he was desperate – tried to shave with Souhi. It had been an important part of his training; probably a disciplinary thing. But if he wasn't clean shaven he just became irritated at himself.

"I'm tired of buying 'safety' razors or any other strange sort of razor every time we moved on. And I'm sick of you borrowing them and having to share."

"Oh?" Fai came closer and looked at the straight razor that Kurogane had put on the bench.

"I mean, we're about the same age, aren't we?"

"Oh…almost." A faint smile crossed the magician's face and Kurogane fought the urge to grab his neck.

"Well, I have to shave frequently, and you're always clean-shaven, but I've never seen you with a razor. So you must be using mine. Here." He pushed it over, closer to Fai. It was quite nice, made out of some sort of shiny metal and a highly polished wood. "These are expensive, so don't lose it. I don't know when we'll next be able to get things like these. I got it engraved with your name so that you wouldn't take mine." Deftly he flipped it over, and Fai examined the underside. Something was neatly engraved in the wood, but –

"I can't read it."

"Oh, for god's sake. Look." Kurogane pointed out the symbols. "That one there says 'Fa', and that one says 'I'. Just remember the way they look and don't use mine."

Fai looked at it again, but didn't move to pick it up. "Well, thankyou for the gift, Kuro-puu, but – I don't shave."

"What? You're not fifteen or something, are you?"

"Most definitely not. But I've never had a problem with anything like that."

"You've got to be kidding me. What sort of grown man doesn't shave?"

Fai folded his hands together and thought for a moment. It would be easy to lie, but maybe a lie with a hint of truth would be better. After all, he had bought a gift for him. "There was an – incident, when I was young. Sort of, changed my body clock a little."

"What, like a spell gone wrong or something?"

He smiled. There; an excuse had been supplied. "Yes, a mistake like that. I've never needed to shave."

"Hm. Well, that explains why your hair grows so slowly, I suppose. And your voice."

"Oh! Has Kuro-pon being checking out my hair? And listening carefully to my voice?" The casual cheerfulness settled over him easily like a familiar warm security blanket.

"Shut up, idiot," Kurogane responded, but without much conviction. He turned and stomped up the stairs, perhaps a little angrily. "Spent all that money and –" he muttered as he left.

Fai smiled and slowly reached out and picked up the razor. He let his fingers brush over the carving. "Fa-I," he whispered, and then pocketed it. When Kurogane demanded it back with the intention of getting a refund, as he no doubt would, he would refuse in a playful, obstinate way.

But when Kurogane came back downstairs a few hours later and noticed that the razor had gone from the bench, he made the decision not to ask for it back. It had been a gift, after all.

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_This is just going to be a series of oneshots based on little moments that I imagine happening throughout the storyline of Tsubasa, and as such will probably be updated irregularly. Sorry! Although I do have an idea for the next one._

Summary for chapter 2: Losing an eye meant you lost your depth perception. Fai was ashamed and he could sense their embarrassment when he found himself constantly falling over and acting generally clumsily in Infinity._  
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